The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-10-01
WHAT is CREATION F0R2
BY REV. JACOB MERRIFIELD.
tPlainfield, Ill9

All who believe in God and creation
assume that the Creator has purpose
in his work and all Predestinationists
admit that the purposes of God are
immutable and infallible, so that there
can be no failure as to the realization
of the ends for which he creates. There
is, indeed, no evading this point, for
there can be no failure with Omnipo-
tence. The Infinite One can suffer no
defeat. His purpose must stand; he
must accomplish all his pleasure. There
is no way to avoid this conclusion with
out in some manner derogating from
the perfection of Deity.
But what is the Creators purpose !?
| What is the end that he aims to realize
out of all the vast and varied scenes of
intelligent existence The old cate
chism says 1.-The chief end Of man is
to glorify God and enjoy him forever" :"
and in this saying, doubtless, the cate
chism expresses the truth for every
observation that we can logically take
of mans being compels us to own that
the chief intent of his creation in Gods
image can be nothing less than this
that every individual shall come into
conscious harmony with the source of
his existence-that every intelligence
shall learn by the successive expert
ences to which his being is subject, to
seek the highest good and the greatest
joy in perfect union of his own soul
with the divine soul, and an intercourse
of perfect love with his fellow souls.
Moreover, there is no system of the
ology extant that denies this intention
as existing in the creative mind. All
| theologians, both of Calvinistic and of
Arminian proclivities, admit that the
end for which man is made is just this,
that he shall glorify his Creator in his
individual being, and enjoy him for
ever.
But with the greatest inconsistency
both these classes of theOlOgians affirm
that only certain members of the race
will ever attain to this sublime consum-
nation Of their being-the one class by
assuming that particular number are
elected to this final holiness and happi-
ness by the pleasure of God; and the
others by declaring that, though God,
indeed, desires the salvation of all, he
has, nevertheless, so limited human
opportunity by what is termed the ''day
of probation" that only certain ones
ever come into this desired estate this
estate so much desired by the Creator
of souls all the rest remaining in sin
and misery fOrever-in the very condi-
tion most undesirable to God, and most
antagonistic to his nature.
Thus, both the Calvinistic and Ar
minian forms of the one theology" of
Partialism unite in limiting the divine
projections in fact, though they both
affirm those perfections as infinite in
their general declaration. Calvinism
declares, indeed, that the chief end of
man is to glorify God and enjoy him
forever, but it at the same time asserts
that God from eternity elected GER
tain and definite number of men and
angels to everlasting life, while all the
rest were passed by and ordained to
eternal death, for the praise of his glo-
rious justice Arminianism declares
that God, indeed, desires and designs
the final holiness and happiness of all
men, but that at the same time he has
limited all opportunity for salvation to
the brief space of life in the fesh-to
"a point of time, moments space, "
as Charles Wesley expresses it; so that
in Arminianism with the same GER
tainty as in Calvinism, the end for
which man is made fails to be realized,
except in certain cases; while in all
other cases the desire and intent of the
Creator are defeated.
Thus 'orthodoX theology" in both
forms contradicts itself, and virtually
ascribes both folly and cruelty to the
Creator, as well as many other charac-
ters of imperfection. Therefore "orth-
odoxy" in both its forms is contrary to
enlightened reason, and totally unfit to
represent the religious thought of a
scientific and thinking age. Il repre-
sents and can represent only the puerile
and savage thought of bygone times.
In this, our time, men who freely
think for themselves discern at once
the self-eyident character of the prOpO-
sition that nothing finite can defeat the
end and aim of the infinite mind in
creation; that nothing can thwart the
divine intention or hinder the fulfill
ment of Gods desire and design 10 have
all men come to a knowledge of the
truth and be saved-Taised out of the
sphere of ignorance and sin into that
of knowledge and holiness above the
plane of life in mere self to that of
life in union with the eternal Spirit.
All who freely run for knowledge,
and freely think for themselves, see at
once that there can be no failure with
him who from his ininity must work,
and actually works all things after the
counsel of his own will, forever fulfill
ing all his desire, and forever hOnOring
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